Coming to Blu-ray on February 13th from Arrow Video
Wanting ultimate power, a prince endeavors to steal every martial arts manual to collect their powers. The last two are under protection in a shaolin temple where the prince attempts to get them. Facing him to protect the books, a group of students and Little Tiger team up and show what they are made of.
Written by Feng Huang and Kuang Ni with Feng Huang directing this martial arts film is a classic to some and with good reasons. The story of good versus evil with a power imbalance is one that is eternal, showing that the little guys can win if they team up and do good. Is the story predictable? Of course! It’s also a lot of fun to watch and the martial arts are solid here, giving one more movie for fans of the genre to look for if they have yet to see or to pick up if they already love it. This one has a fun story, good direction, and some solid action scenes. And the art direction. And the costumes. And the young Sammo Kam-Bo Hung.
Yep, he may not be the lead here, but Sammo Kam-Bo Hung is here and he’s fun to watch as usual. His part is smaller(ish), but he’s easy to spot and really enjoyable here. In the lead of the prince, Sing Chen is solid while Ho Wang (as Ka Sa-fa) makes for a great counterpart as the Warrior Monk. These two are solid here with great martial arts skills, making them fun to watch. Yeah, this film is fun to watch. The performances are not perfect, but they work, the cast has skills that they can show off here, and there is a certain sense of humor that hits just right (while being a bit dated of course).
The film also looks really good. The cinematography by Yu-Tang Li makes the most of the performances, the art direction, the locations, the decor, and the costumes. The film has a particular look that really works here and gives it an “old timey” feel that is perfect for the period piece that is it.
The Shaolin Plot is an entertaining and fun take on a familiar story. The familiar faces for those who watch a lot of these are great to see here and the film itself makes for a great watch (or rewatch) for any fan of the genre.
As for the re-release by Arrow Video, it’s a solid one with a great transfer that has a 2k restoration of the film made from the original film elements presented in Blu-ray 1080p with the sound being as good as it’s going to get. The subtitles here are on point with the scenes (without speaking the original language, their exactitude is hard to judge unfortunately), and a bunch of good extras. The release has new artwork by Ilan Sheady as well as a new collector’s booklet. The best of the extras here is the commentary by Frank Djeng and Michael Worth (martial arts experts) and the commentary by Mike Leeder and Arne Venema (action film experts). This release is a fun one.